Nearly three months after residents received the news of its construction, the Rail Trail bridge over the Wallkill River, is ready for use.
The announcement came on July 20, at a New Paltz Town Council Meeting after months of its closure due to safety concerns stemming primarily from its misutilization involving motor vehicles. After investigation, it became evident that some of the wooden supports of the bridge had rotted out. Town Board members authorized a total of $11,253.20 for demolition. The contract for the project was given to Roehrs Construction.
The bridge, located near Springtown Road, was torn down in August and delivered, assembled and installed Sept. 26. The beams that were removed were deemed sufficient and slated to be used in the Rosendale Trestle. Due to the estimated weight of 54,000 lbs and the crane getting a flat tire, precaution was taken in its assembly, pushing back the date a day as well as calling for the delivery to be a two-part operation.
Residents celebrated its long awaited arrival with a ribbon cutting ceremony hosted by New Paltz Regional Chamber of Commerce on Wednesday, Oct. 4 at 6 p.m. and even circulated a video of its arrival a week prior.
The Rail Trail is one of the many trails intended to become part of the statewide Empire Trail.